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Post by lieden on Apr 22, 2012 19:05:50 GMT 1
Nah, it's not just Aria and Liara. I get the feeling you're not a fan of the asari race as a whole. From The Art of the Mass Effect Universe (which I got a few days ago, and hope I can find some time to talk more extensively about), on the asari: "To add a familiar element of science fiction fantasy, we decided one of the main species in Mass Effect would be a race of beautiful, blue alien girls."
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Post by Mister Buch on Apr 22, 2012 19:14:01 GMT 1
I think I remember a moment on the documentary that came with the first game's special edition. One of the art designers: "With the asari, we get to design a race of blue space babes!" That pretty much sums it up for me.
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Post by jklinders on Apr 22, 2012 19:21:52 GMT 1
I remember both those quotes. Hence my perspective of them as being a race of Sues. I think at one point I described Thessia to Lily as being a Mary Sue Manufacturing plant, emphasized by how all Asari procreation keeps all the Asari attributes while taking no biology at all from the father race.
I'm surprised none of you guys heard her facepalm.
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Post by Tillian Panthesis on Apr 23, 2012 2:51:35 GMT 1
If it makes anyone happy, I'll be deconstructing the asari race harshly and they'll probably lose their Mary Sue status in the process. In my comic. All thanks to this thread.
Thanks guys. Keep up in digging out plot holes and logical pet peeve.
One question for Leiden in a off topic: is that recent ME art book worth it? I suspect it's going to be more expensive than my Vampire Hunter D art book. (and it's A3 size!!!!)
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Post by lieden on Apr 23, 2012 5:12:56 GMT 1
Tillian: I got it real cheap from amazon.co.uk (I think that with P+P it still cost me under €25) and it's a hefty, quality volume, around 170+ pages full of concept art from all three games. I think it's well worth it. I was actually a bit saddened to see SO much work (and talent) go into fleshing out this universe visually, only to see some key poor choices - like the asari's looks, most of the female characters, etc. (Not to speak of how the plot/story/ending turned out in the actual game.)
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Post by jklinders on Apr 23, 2012 9:47:29 GMT 1
Well the Asari really do not need to be completely revamped, but the universal adoration they enjoy in game should be revised at least a bit (tri racial bachelor party-I'm looking at you!). Maybe a bit of smouldering resentment left over afterwards about how they hogged tech and Prothean knowledge for their own self advancement without sharing so that the galaxy burned when the reapers came.
Maybe they could take humanity's place in that regard. Afterall, most of the races regarded humans with suspicion or outright resentment. Even after the battle of the Citadel.
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Post by Tillian Panthesis on Apr 23, 2012 10:11:46 GMT 1
Well the Asari really do not need to be completely revamped, but the universal adoration they enjoy in game should be revised at least a bit (tri racial bachelor party-I'm looking at you!). Maybe a bit of smouldering resentment left over afterwards about how they hogged tech and Prothean knowledge for their own self advancement without sharing so that the galaxy burned when the reapers came. Maybe they could take humanity's place in that regard. Afterall, most of the races regarded humans with suspicion or outright resentment. Even after the battle of the Citadel. Actually, I was thinking about exploiting that flaw they have: self-centred, power hungry, aloof, materialistic and probably lazy. I will be reavealing those negative traits where they are trying to hog this macguffin to themselves, trying to bring back their glorious days in pre-reaper war. But now you've mention about them taking humanity's place as being outright resented, I might throw that in too. Thanks.
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Post by Mister Buch on Apr 23, 2012 16:01:03 GMT 1
No story is perfect, but I thought the asari's basis as 'space babes' was a very cheap shot. BioWare came up with a number of memorable and believable asari traits and characters, and to be fair the krogan are exactly as sexist (large, aggressive idiots obsessed with mating). But nontheless, the asari are particularly striking as a dumb, pandering piece of an otherwise excellent lore.
EDI's body annoys me too.
But Miranda is the point where I genuinely hate it. EDI and the asari's presentation are an understandable (or at least pedictable) annoyance which is covered up superbly by the writing. Miranda is a non-combatant who wears heels and lycra, gunfighting against armoured space marines and winning. Give me a break.
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Post by Clint Johnston on Apr 23, 2012 16:35:33 GMT 1
*break's Buch's leg* As you wish!
I thought the Bachelor party laid out something very subtly that hoped they'd flesh out in 3. That the Asari are not what they appear to be, and that Morinth was actually close to the truth in her final rant. (Honestly who saved her? Only 1 of my 6 playthroughs, and all he got for his trouble was 2 e-mails and a boss fight) The ardat yakshi are what the Asari are meant to be and they are fighting it as much as possible. I mean, the "faciliity" you go to? That's meant to hold thousands of people (according to the chatter). But they didn't, and it's not very pun worthy, so I'm not worried about it. Though I do plan to give Liara a verbal browbeating over her sudden lack of brains when Javik tells her Protheans helped the Asari along...
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Post by jklinders on Apr 23, 2012 19:57:37 GMT 1
I think this is a good time to remind you that
1:Ardat Yakshi are sterile and
2: Morinth was nuts.
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Post by Clint Johnston on Apr 23, 2012 21:34:27 GMT 1
Samara sure answered that quickly enough, I thought. Like she was covering something up? But that's nonsense, the asari would never hide vital information from the rest of galaxy....
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Post by jklinders on Apr 23, 2012 22:01:51 GMT 1
Samara sure answered that quickly enough, I thought. Like she was covering something up? But that's nonsense, the asari would never hide vital information from the rest of galaxy.... I'm inclined to trust at least a little bit of the word of a Justicar who would not really know how to lie if an instruction book for it appeared before her eyes. To clarify, I am aware that she did not go out of her way to say that Morinth was her daughter until the loyalty mission came up, but she never openly lied either. She flat out said that Ardat Yakshi are sterile. She is a reasonably reliable source and no lore has come out to contradict that. As for the lies the Asari as a whole did tell...there were hints here and there that not all was good in the hood with them.
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Post by Knightfall on Apr 23, 2012 22:55:33 GMT 1
My memory might be selective right now, but I thought ME3 was actively showing some restraint when portraying the asari this time around. Not completely! But BioWare showed them in more roles than just dancers and bra-less justicars. Specifically military roles. All that over-sexualization fell away during the Thessia section of the game, I thought.
They're still the Mass Effect equivalent of the Twi'leks, though. xD
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Post by Clint Johnston on Apr 24, 2012 3:30:39 GMT 1
I think the proviso to Samara is that she is honest about what she knows about. But then again, she's been tracking ardat yakshi for a long time, she would be the one to ask on the topic.
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Post by Mister Buch on Apr 24, 2012 14:15:14 GMT 1
My memory might be selective right now, but I thought ME3 was actively showing some restraint when portraying the asari this time around. Not completely! But BioWare showed them in more roles than just dancers and bra-less justicars. Specifically military roles. All that over-sexualization fell away during the Thessia section of the game, I thought. That's a good point. But I think the banshees were kind of... you know... I don't even know. But once again BioWare have a monster with giant naked breasts. Once again.
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